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Thursday, December 1, 2011

25 Days Of Christmas and Holiday Series: Day 1

Welcome to the FIRST day of The Homeless Finch celebration of the season

25 Days of Christmas and Holiday Simple Crafts And Tips!

Mini Wreaths

Today, we are talking Mini Wreaths that can be used as ornaments, embellishments, gifts or simply hung somewhere sweet. The base of the wreaths are made using a simple 3 or 4 inch curtain ring. I happen to have an unused bag of these leftover from a project from years ago. You could also use shower curtain rings. I have even seen it done with small round cross stitch framing rings. I decorated them 5 different ways to show you that this project can be adjusted for whatever holiday look you prefer.

Leaving a couple of inches at each end for the bow, I took three strands of raffia and wrapped the ring in a counterclockwise direction. I then tied off the end together at the top and formed a bow. I was looking for a beachy holiday feel, so I dug through my bowls of sea shells. Some of the shells I have collected and some are store bought. The three I used on this wreath were store bought. I simply hot glued three onto the top just under the bow. I then added a few clear beads on a silver wire to the top, using the extra wire at the loop holder.

I was done at this point and you could be too. But then I decided to add a few Scrabble letters with a little message. Here is the finished product.

Next, I set my sights on something a little more elegant. I am seeing a ton of SILVER being used this year. Instead of wrapping the ring, I decided to give it a base color with silver spray paint.

I took some silvery pearls that I picked up at AC Moore on sale and hot glue them to the base, placing the pearls down in a clock pattern. I then took semi-sheer, wired silver ribbon and wrapped between each bead. I folded the edges of the ribbon as I went so that the ribbon 'puffed' up between the beads creating a nice sense of movement.

I then simply tied off the ends of the ribbon into a bow at the top. Done. Simple. Elegant. Make sure you use good quality pearl beads. It matters. Here are the results.

Next, I set out to stick with a more traditional Christmas theme using fabric strips. I searched through my stash of old fabrics. I keep even the most cut up pieces for this reason. I then started ripping strips from the fabric for the wrap. If you have never ripped strips, you will be surprised how it is super easy. Fabric when torn vertically or horizontally will tear straight along the weave. Just snip a little into the fabric about an inch inside the edge. Grab both side and rip!! It's fun!
Using these strips, I wrapped the ring in a similar fashion like the raffia. Remember to always leave a tail on each end for tying off at the top!

I took a Dollar Tree ornament apart for it's red beads and found a few green beads at the bottom of my bead bucket and threaded them over three pieces of silver wire.

I then worked the beads into the top of the wreath and tied the ends of the wire off for a loop. Here are the results.

At this point, I wanted to try something a little more traditional using 1 1/2 inch plaid ribbon. Just like the others, I wrapped the ribbon remembering to leave enough on both ends for tying off. I then took a piece of holiday green off a 50 cent floral pic and pared it with a rusty jingle bell that came out of a package from Joann's.

Finished it off with a bow...

So for the final example, I wanted to do something in my style...vintage and funky. I used a piece of scalloped edge white cotton lace trim. As I wrapped the lace, I made sure the scalloped edge was not covered and the holes were spread out revealing the wood on the ring. Searching through a few bowls of vintage buttons and leftover drawer hardware, I started playing with the different elements.

In the end, I settled on a different sheet of buttons. I added a little sea shell and a pebble with some jute for the top bow. I finished it off by adding a neat little paper butterfly that I cut out of a leftover piece of decorative paper. Here is what I came up with.

Certainly not very holiday-ish, but it might make a nice gift for someone like me! Who knows?!

So here you have all of them together...

You could take this idea and do so much with the stuff you already have sitting around in your supplies. There are so many different materials you can use to wrap the ring. The sky is the limit.

Hope you found inspiration today with my Mini Wreath project! It is a simple and neat. Its a versatile way to make a little something special for the top of a package, an ornament for someone special or maybe even a teacher gift. You decide.

I just realized that all my commments I have been making lately are not appearing!! Weird. I thought I was signed in, but it appears, I wasn't, and my comments went to the great abyss. I just noticed because I posted here first and then went to Day 2 to post. Odd. Anyway, was just saying how much I loved these wreaths, especially the ocean and plaid one. Super cool, and they can be as easy or as hard as you wanna make em!

Hello! I found your post on Thrifty Decor Chick's link up party and love your mini-wreathes! Today I was out buying red felt for my front door wreath and I found in the discount bin at Fabricland (Canada) a package of 6 "Wood Pole Rings" that can be used for drapes for $2. I told the lady at the store what I was going to use them for and she was so impressed :) Thanks for sharing your wonderful idea!! I can't wait to see how my mini-wreathes turn out.

Those little wreaths look great. Along with decorating with them, you could use them as package accessories, too. I wish I still had those old curtain rings. I worked backwards, and I've enjoyed reading all of your great ideas.